Hon Chairperson, hon members, hon members of the executive, Your Excellencies Ambassadors and High Commissioners and representatives of international organisations, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, fellow South Africans, comrades and friends, a few days ago, President Zuma was in Addis Ababa with a delegation from South Africa for the historic 50th anniversary celebrations of the Organisation of African Unity, OAU, now the African Union, AU, our Pan-African organisation founded in 1963 for promoting our unity in diversity, our decolonisation, strengthening our solidarity and building on our common history and shared values.
Kwame Nkrumah captured this vision in his address to the inaugural meeting of the OAU when he said:
Our objective is African union now. There is no time to waste. We must unite or perish. Ke tshepa gore baetapele ba, ba be ba lemogile gore "Mphiri o tee ga o lle". [These leaders have noticed that two hands are better than one.]
Indeed, we have not perished. Today we are a continent on the rise. We pay tribute to our forbears for their foresight that gave our continent the OAU and its successor, the AU. Next year, in this country, we will be celebrating our 20th anniversary. As a nation, we began our journey, which started in 1994, for a better South Africa in a better Africa and a better world.
We also recall that during the negotiations, we spelled out our transformation agenda in our May 1992 document rightly entitled Ready to Govern: ANC policy guidelines for a democratic South Africa, which set four foreign policy goals for the postapartheid dispensation: firstly, the transformation of our foreign policy with a view to democratising our international political and economic relations for peace and friendship; secondly, our integration as a full member of the international community; thirdly, the development of a foreign policy that will promote regional co- operation, peace and security; and fourthly , the establishment of a professional foreign service in which training, employment equity and affirmative action will be important components of the attainment of high standards of service.
We are here today to say that, as we have elaborated on many other occasions, half, if not almost all, of what we meant to achieve and the goals we set for ourselves have been achieved. In just 19 years, we reset South Africa's international relations that were historically developed during the many years of exclusion, colonialism and apartheid. Today, most of the goals we have set for ourselves are out there for all to see. Our country is no longer a pariah state, but a valued and respected member of the international community. We have a dynamic, independent foreign policy that speaks to our domestic priorities, and which is supported by a professional foreign service. We expanded our global footprint from 34 to 126 missions across all continents and time zones.
Our international trade continues to surge. Even against the background of global economic doom and gloom, we continue to create millions of jobs. Tourist arrivals continue to grow year after year. As our President confirmed this morning during the press conference, for this past year, the year 2012, we actually received more than 13 million visitors in this country. Our African Agenda has placed our continent at the centre of our foreign policy. Our relations with countries of the South are firmly grounded in shared interests and common challenges. Our partnership with countries of the North is based on mutual respect and co-operation. We are active in the multilateral system for the transformation of the global governance architecture.
It is confirmed that we have also made history during our hosting of the Conference on Climate Change, Cop 17, where we have restored hope to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, UNFCCC, by breathing new life into the negotiation process. Our economic diplomacy promotes South Africa's broad economic objectives globally. We are now counted among the voices that will change the global power relations. Our economic diplomacy promotes South Africa's broad economic objectives globally. We are now counted amongst the voices that will change the global power relations.
In the next year and beyond, the Department of International Relations and Co-operation will lead a co-ordinated campaign through the footprints we have established to diversify and consolidate our international relations. The budget we present to you today is about availing more resources so that the Department of International Relations and Co-operation can power ahead into new frontiers of co-operation, contributing towards the eradication of poverty, inequality and unemployment. The proposed figures are attributable to our reality of operating in an international environment. In 2009, this administration made a number of foreign policy commitments to the people of this country in the context of linking our international relations policies to our domestic priorities. This was done with an understanding that the cornerstone of our foreign policy lies in our domestic interests. We stand before you here today to affirm that the commitments we made in 2009 have broadly been fulfilled. We therefore wish to thank all who responded to our call that working together, we can do more.
Our relations with our neighbours are in good shape, thanks to our bilateral mechanisms, as well as the integration objectives of the Southern African Development Community, SADC, and South African Customs Union, Sacu. Bilaterally, we continue to work for strong diplomatic and economic ties with the countries in our region and through bi-national and joint commissions across the continent and throughout the world with the continuation of exchange of high-level visits, which have served to be instrumental in this regard.
We stand for a strong SADC, as an integrated community in various domains that is supported by an effective SADC secretariat. The SADC has taken the lead in working for peace and stability in our region. Our contribution in this regard has been through preventative diplomacy and mediation, our membership of the Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Co-operation and through regional peacekeeping efforts. We remain seized with the process of assisting and working together with all components and institutions of our region. We take this opportunity to congratulate the people of Zimbabwe on having successfully completed the process of their new constitution. We remain seized with the process of assisting the parties through the mediation efforts of our President to implement to the fullest the Global Political Agreement and the roadmap to elections in the context of the SADC mediation framework. [Applause.]
We welcome the proposal for an intervention brigade as a realistic option to bring security normalcy to the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC, by SADC, supported and working together with the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region, ICGLR. We have a responsibility, all of us, in this region and on this continent, to continue to protect the vulnerable citizens in that particular country. Our government condemns in no uncertain terms attacks on these vulnerable civilians, particularly women and children, humanitarian actors and the United Nations Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Monusco, peacekeepers.
These excellent relations that I have referred to in terms of working together with other countries on the continent have extended to all parts as witnessed by His Excellency President Jonathan, who emphasised the value of working for a united Africa and the importance of a strong working relationship between South Africa and Nigeria.
We remain concerned, however, about the peace and security situation on our continent, albeit in fewer countries than in the past. Therefore, we will continue, as we did in the past, with all peace initiatives in full support of the process in the DRC, the Central African Republic, CAR, Mali, Guinea- Bissau, and Somalia. If it were not for the intervention of Africans themselves to lead and to bring about African solutions, Somalia would still be what it was for more than 20 years. It took Africans to provide leadership and be there first, before the international community came to join. Today the people of Somalia are celebrating a new dawn, which gives them a new opportunity to move on.
We will continue to stand by the people of Libya, Tunisia and Egypt as they strive to work together in their transition to a new socioeconomic and political dispensation. We firmly support the ongoing constitutional processes in these countries, and we are ready to share our experiences with all of them.
We will continue, as advised and informed by our foreign policy, with humanitarian assistance in all corners of the continent, where and when we are called upon to do so, and to act in solidarity with the sister countries in need. We have for so many years been seized with the issue of the status of Western Sahara. This is the only country on our continent that, as we are celebrating the 50th anniversary of the OAU and AU, remains occupied. So, this is just one bit of unfinished business that needs all our attention. Self-determination of the people of Western Sahara is equally essential.
The primary objective of the OAU was to achieve a better life for all Africans, to eradicate all forms of colonialism and to defend their sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence. All of us sitting in this House, as we've joined all African nations in celebrating the 50th anniversary of the birth of our OAU and AU, should remember that the ANC had been there before. It had been part of the All African Peoples' Conference, which gave birth to the OAU - both conferences - because, at that time, South Africa had been a pariah state that could only be represented by liberation movements. Let me quote what the representative of South Africa then, through the ANC, which was based in Ghana, said in 1958, before hon Smuts Ngonyama was born:
We therefore welcome the convening of the conference and wholeheartedly congratulate its organisers. We should like particularly to place on record the deep appreciation of the oppressed people of South Africa of the fact that those who have already achieved their freedom and independence have not forgotten their duties and responsibilities to those who are still in chains, and to the sacred cause of African freedom and independence.
We were rightfully represented by a democratic, nonsexist government that respects human rights this time around, when we went for this celebration. We would want to appeal to all hon members to remember that, yes, the core objective of the decolonisation of the continent is almost complete, but the total emancipation of this continent is still a journey that we should all be focusing on. As such, the celebration started on 25 May 2013 and it will end on 25 May 2014 under the theme, "Pan-Africanism and African Renaissance", which was adopted at the golden jubilee of the OAU and the AU. I have been reliably informed that there will be a special sitting of this House to convene so that parliamentarians can also pronounce themselves through this august House on the importance of the Pan-African event.
We should also be focusing on what contribution we make to the strategic plan of the AU and also on what kind of contribution we make to Vision 2063. I am sure many of us will still be around in 2063, so we have to start investing in that now. Africa is different from what it was 50 years ago, not only because we have finished decolonisation, but because we have institutions that are there to capacitate us to discharge this responsibility. The African Peace and Security Architecture, the New Partnership for Africa's Development, Nepad, the African Peer Review Mechanism, APRM, and the Pan-African Parliament are amongst the many others that we have developed that also still need a lot of consolidation.
Building strong South-South relations is another leg on which our foreign policy stands. We do this by establishing good bilateral relations with countries of the South, developing a focused strategy and approach for engagement with the emerging powers of the South, and by participating in strategic multilateral bodies with countries of the South, including the historic Non-Aligned Movement. In this regard, our government was inspired, and continues to be, by the historic hosting of a very successful Brics summit. We are committing ourselves to full implementation of the eThekwini Declaration and eThekwini Action Plan.
The India, Brazil, South Africa, Ibsa, Dialogue Forum remains central with our relations to the countries of the South, as we move towards the celebration of the 10th anniversary of this formation. We will use this opportunity, when we do so, to reflect on the milestones and the long-term future of this formation. We continue building relations with other countries of the South through Brics and all other avenues where we find ourselves getting the opportunity to do so. We will fully discharge the commitment we have made with the co-chairship of the Forum on China-Africa Co-operation, Focac, and we will host the 5th Summit of the Focac Beijing Action Plan 2013 to 2015 and fully implement its agenda.
The Gulf region remains equally important as a political player, as a source for Media for Development International, MFDI, and as a respectable destination for our exports. We remain seized with the peace initiatives in the Middle East, because we believe that peace will remain elusive to the global community until and unless we resolve the issues which constitute the Middle East peace challenges. In this regard, we believe the issue of Palestine and Israel remains the cornerstone of what needs to be resolved if peace or global peace is to be attained. For this reason, we will continue to direct our efforts in contributing to the peaceful resolution of the situation in Syria and other areas of conflict in that particular region.
In his state of the nation address, President Zuma said:
We stand with the people of Palestine as they strive to turn a new leaf in their struggle for their right to self-determination; hence we supported their bid for statehood. The expansion of Israeli settlements into Palestinian territories is a serious stumbling block to the resolution of the conflict.
Our relations with Latin America and the Caribbean Islands are also underpinned by our South-South goals. We will continue to discharge and focus on these relations, as we work together with the AU to implement the five Legacy Projects of the Global African Diaspora Summit that we hosted last year.
We have good bilateral relations with the countries of the North. We have strategic political dialogue with the United States of America, and these relations continue to impact positively on our five key priority areas in this country. President Zuma will be welcoming President Obama to our shores very soon to continue with this partnership. Europe remains South Africa's main trading partner, source of investment and valuable supplier of cutting-edge technology. Our partnership with the European Union serves as a platform for political dialogue and the expansion of our economic ties.
President Zuma announced this morning that he would be leading a delegation to participate in the Tokyo International Conference for African Development, Ticad, V in Japan from 1 to 3 June 2013, followed by a working visit in that country.
Our country attaches great importance to multilateralism. The cornerstone of the work we do would also be working together with all our African brothers and sisters for the reform of the global institutions of governance. We have, in the past 19 years, served two terms in the United Nations Security Council, continuing to champion the African agenda in that regard. As we exited our second term in the Security Council, we are now serving in the United Nations Peacebuilding Commission on global peace and security. We are also a very active member of the Economic and Social Council, Ecosoc. We will continue fighting for the cause, because we believe the reform of these global institutions of governance has to happen now and not later. South Africa continues to play an active role in numerous multilateral disarmament and nonproliferation meetings and will continue through the guidance of our foreign policy on multilateralism, whilst also keeping the eye on the critical post-2015 agenda of the International Partnership for Human Development.
This journey to freedom, as our icon Madiba taught us, is a long walk. Every step we take is just the beginning of a better one. [Applause.] Some priorities should therefore preoccupy our approach to the future. We also have to make a valuable contribution in the implementation of our National Development Plan. We will elaborate on our contribution in the coming weeks. We want to take the opportunity again to plead with hon members and the South African public at large that this is our African Union. Let us respond to the 50th anniversary of the AU and the declaration of Vision 2063, so that indeed we open up space for our children, for our youth, and for all to participate in the future of this continent. [Applause.]
We are glad to announce that the administrative requirements for the establishment of the South African Development Partnership Agency, Sadpa, have now been completed. The proclamation was signed by President Zuma, and the agency will soon become operational. We will come back to this House to table a Bill in Parliament on the creation of the partnership fund for development. I think we will be replacing the African Renaissance Fund with this very important development.
We have now also, in the final stages of the establishment of the South African Council on International Relations, filled in all the important key positions that were vacant, and we continue to look at the organisational development challenges that we have been facing.
Today, I am glad and honoured to say that through our cadet programme, we have three successful candidates who are now part of the Department of International Relations and Co-operation family: Ms Letlala, Ms Malekane and Ms Msimang, who are here as our special guests. [Applause.] They are also joined by 20 scholars from three schools in the Western Cape, namely Langa High School, Zonnebloem Nest Senior School and Beauvallon Secondary School, who are here as part of the Department of International Relations and Co-operation's Take a Girl or Boy Child to Work project. [Applause.]
We will continue with our public diplomacy, communicating the positive stories and messages of the good work that South Africa has done out there in the international community in the past 19 years. We are also glad to inform you that we have launched the Ubuntu radio station, which is our internet-based radio station and is broadcasting this interaction live.
One of the successes and historic decisions taken by our leaders at this 50th anniversary of our summit was that our leadership has unanimously adopted a decision that we will, as a continent, in line with providing African solutions for African problems, have a rapid response force with immediate effect. It will be done whilst waiting for the full implementation, led by our Minister of Defence and Military Veterans and our generals who are leading our armies, so that we don't wait for our relatives from somewhere else to intervene when we have a crisis on our continent. I really think this was historic, and we had more than 10 countries. After adopting this resolution, they also said that they were available and that they would be part of that. [Applause.]
In closing, let me say that we should unite. This is what the African Union's anthem says:
Let us all unite and toil together To give the best we have to Africa The cradle of mankind and fount of culture Our pride and hope at break of dawn.
Tau t?a hloka seboka di ?itwa ke nare e hlot?a. [United we stand, divided we fall.] [Applause.] [Time expired.]